Wyoming Big Contributor to Interior

For the first time in several years, economic growth and jobs supported by federal lands both increased.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke this week released the Department’s Economic Report for Fiscal Year 2017, which shows that last year, the economic output of Interior’s federal lands and resources increased by $400 million to $292 billion, and the number of jobs supported increased by 230,000 to 1.8 million jobs. Gains are due to increased energy production and revenues, regulatory reform, changes to land uses and access, infrastructure projects, and other factors.
Zinke credits the increase to smart regulatory reforms and increased access to federal lands and waters. Additionally, National parks, refuges, and other public lands managed by Interior hosted an estimated 483 million recreational visits in Fiscal Year 2017— that’s up from 473 million in 2016. These visits supported an estimated $52 billion in economic output and an estimated 418,000 jobs nationwide.
Wyoming led the nation as the state with the largest contribution to Gross Domestic Product, economic output, and employment. According to the report, Wyoming contributed $12.72 billion dollars to the GDP, $20.78 billion in economic output, and almost 100,000 jobs.
The economic impact of Interior’s public lands under the current administration is expected to show increases in FY 2018 as well, due to expanded access to federal lands, regulatory reform, increased energy production, and more projects being approved for development.